Ex-Rep. Simmons has few words for former rival

Former Connecticut Rep. Rob Simmons (R) didn't encourage his supporters to back Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon in a thank-you note he sent Friday.

Simmons notes he was preparing to face Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) before he retired — "but the objective was clouded by the introduction of other elements into the race."

Simmons wound up suspending his primary campaign, but he released two TV ads afterward and kept his name on the ballot.

"We avoided an expensive and divisive primary," he wrote. "The fact that we fell short in the Primary Election is no cause for shame when we consider the vast number of resources arrayed against us."

He makes only one reference to McMahon, who clinched the Senate nomination on Tuesday.
 
"In conceding the field to Mrs. McMahon I pledged my support for all Republican candidates this fall," Simmons wrote.